The standard with IBM and Apple, this where I differ in opinion, I think this is a marketing ploy and the casual, hip look is all about attracting certain clients and I actually like this very much. More interested in the service/product at the end of the day
Hi MTR, I don't know about IBM, but you've just described pretty much the entire culture of Silicon Valley.
In my industry (financial planning), I always, always wear a suit and tie when going to visit clients/prospects. If I turned up wearing casual clothes, I would (quite rightly) not be taken seriously. It just doesn't look professional.
In the same vein, women that wear clothing that makes them look like they should be working at a nightclub as opposed to an office is acceptable (or at the very least, not frowned upon, as most managers/bosses are afraid of getting a sexual harrassment complaint if they expect women to dress appropriately).
As per one of PG's posts, where she took umbrage with the idea that not having exposed shoulders and/or back(!) was unacceptable and proof of discrimination
against women. Still trying to wrap my noodle around the rationalisation of that one...
Let me give you an example. Last summer, we had one particular day when the temp rose to 43 degrees (or something along those lines). Normally, I would stay inside and stay cool, however I had to go do my grocery shopping that day. What I noticed was that pretty much all the women were dressed for the weather, but the men were all dressed as they are expected to dress every single day - slacks, long sleeved shirts, etc. In 43 degree weather.
Men don't have the luxury of being able to dress according to the weather and that's okay. That's the way it is, end of story. However, when women choose to dress like they work at a strip club, then why are they surprised when they aren't taken seriously? What I also don't understand is how women, who have far greater options when it comes to dressing for work still manage to believe they're being discriminated against.